Filmmaker Michael Mann has made multiple classic films in his time from “The Insider” and “The Last of the Mohicans,” to “Manhunter,” “Collateral,” Thief,” and “Ali”.
Yet if you could name one film he’s most identified with, it’s the DeNiro-Pacino 1995 crime drama “Heat”. Nearly thirty years on, Mann has never really escaped its influence as the work has inspired a whole generation of men, cinephiles, podcasters and/or all three.
Mann himself recently revisited the work with his sequel/prequel novel boasting the rather blunt title of “Heat 2” which serves as both a prequel and a sequel to the 1995 feature.
The release has begged the question as to whether Mann would like to revisit the film on the big screen. If so, would a studio or streamer fund such a costly endeavour? Speaking for a profile piece in Variety, Mann says he’d love to make the film, but if it doesn’t happen it’s no issue either:
“The thing is, I don’t think about mortality. I’m busy. What good would it do me? If I absolutely had to make ‘Heat 2,’ I wouldn’t have got lost in this beautiful story of Ferrari. And I took two years to write a novel. Fortunately, it became a New York Times No. 1 bestseller. The things I’m into are things that fascinate me and keep me moving forward. Don’t misunderstand. I want to make it. But if I don’t, I won’t be incomplete.”
Mann has been working on an independently financed “Ferrari” movie starring Adam Driver. That film is set to hit the festival circuit this year and for now appears to be one of the top awards season candidates. That film opens in December.
